Another early start...! Dressage was at 9.30 and it took us nearly 2 hours to get there due to sat nav telling us a stupid route so I didn't have much time to warm up. I started to think that was actually a good thing as after 10 minutes Candy started to die on me and the spurs came out! When I had finished the test I felt I could of done a lot better as bits where a bit wobbly! She broke into trot once in the canter circle, fell out her shoulder through one corner, and her halt was wonkey! But not too bad for a 4 year old after all!

I then decided to go down to the show jumps a bit earlier than my time as I had under one hour to walk the whole cross country course and get back on! Luckily there wasn't many waiting and I was straight in. The show jump course was very full of fences as they had the BE80 course right next to the BE90 which made my fences look a lot bigger! Candy did a lovely clear round.. its nice to be able to relax in the show jump phase a little as she is a careful jumper. (touch wood!)

I jumped off quickly and took the doggies round the cross country course with me, I didn't have to run round this time so managed to get pictures of the BE90 course. I thought the course was really nice, nothing too scary or big.. although there was a wide range of fences such as a ditches, steps, water with a jump out followed by another fence one stride away, a fair few skinnies, combinations on angles, and a brush fence right on the top of a hill so there was a slight drop after. I was worried that Candy might not make the time as her previous 4 year old classes you can go round in your own time. When I got back from walking the course mum ran onto have a look at the dressage scores, she rang me up saying guess what you got.. I guessed 38 but she managed to pull a 33.5 which we both were dead chuffed about!

She warmed up really nice and had lots of people saying how lovely and calm she looked.. (I think she just didn't realize we were going cross country!) The first few fences she wanted to jump out of a show jumping pace so she ended up putting a small stride in, after the 4th fence she opened up well and I tried to keep a forward canter to the rest of the fences. Candy came back with a clear round and was just inside the time by 2 seconds to spare! phew! She finished on her dressage score of 33.5 and came 6th winning me a lovely rosette as well as a Blue Chip voucher...(shame I don't use Blue Chip might have to see what they have!) Hopefully I will aim Candy at Solihull BE90 as her next BE run. Hope the cross country pictures are of use to you!